1969 The Troubles

The Troubles is the common name for the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that spilled over at various times into the Republic of Ireland, mainland-UK and mainland Europe. The Troubles began in the late 1960s and is deemed by many to have ended with the Belfast "Good Friday" Agreement of 1998, although there has been sporadic violence since then. Internationally, the Troubles is also commonly called the Northern Ireland conflict and has been described as a war. The term "the Troubles" was previously used to refer to the Irish War of Independence of 1919-21; it was adopted to refer to the escalating violence in Northern Ireland after 1969. The conflict was the result of discrimination against the Irish nationalist/Catholic minority by the unionist/Protestant majority and the question of Northern Ireland's status within the United Kingdom.